AI & Business Operations Associate
Location: Maywood, IL (Headquarters)
Department: Operations
Reports To: Director of Operations
Status: Full-Time | Exempt
About Aetna Building Solutions
Aetna Building Solutions is a wholesale building materials distributor with over 80 years of history serving contractors, fabricators, and dealers across the Midwest. We operate five locations, Maywood, Rockford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Lexington with our own fleet and warehouse operations. We are a privately held, people-first company with a stable ownership structure and a strong track record of promoting from within.
We are making a meaningful investment in innovation, and this role is central to that effort.
The Opportunity
We are looking for an early-career business professional who is genuinely curious about how businesses operate and passionate about finding better ways to get things done. This person will use AI and emerging technology as tools to help our teams work smarter, reduce friction, and improve performance across the organization.
This is not a software development, data engineering, or programming role. We are not looking for someone to build technology. We are looking for someone who understands business operations, builds relationships easily, and uses AI to create practical improvements in a real distribution environment.
You will work directly with our Director of Operations in office at our Corporate HQ and collaborate with every department in the company, from warehouse and dispatch to sales, purchasing, accounting, HR, and administration. Few early-career positions offer this level of visibility, variety, and direct impact.
What You’ll Do
- Work alongside department managers and frontline employees to understand how work currently gets done and identify opportunities to make it better.
- Apply AI tools to real, everyday business challenges improving how teams communicate, document, schedule, and manage information.
- Support efficiency improvements in our warehouse, distribution, and fleet operations across five Midwest locations.
- Help employees and managers get better information to make better decisions without requiring them to become technology experts.
- Develop training, reference guides, and change management support to help people adopt new tools and processes confidently.
- Identify and eliminate repetitive, manual tasks that slow our teams down.
- Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement in a company that values innovation and invests in its people.
Who You Are
The strongest candidates for this role will be people who:
- Think like a businessperson first. You understand operations, workflows, and how decisions get made in a company.
- Communicate clearly and confidently with warehouse managers, sales reps, executives, and everyone in between.
- Are genuinely curious about AI and already using tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or similar in your daily work or studies.
- Enjoy solving practical problems not building platforms or writing code.
- Are self-directed, organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities at once.
- Want to be in an environment where your work is visible, your ideas are heard, and your growth is supported.
This Role Is Not For You If…
- You are primarily interested in software engineering, programming, or data science.
- Your goal is to work in a technical, code-first environment building data pipelines or analytical models.
- You prefer working independently on technical projects over collaborating with people across a business.
If that describes you, this role will likely feel like the wrong fit. We need someone who leads with business instincts and uses technology as a means to an end.
What We Offer
- Direct access to senior leadership and cross-functional exposure from day one.
- The opportunity to shape how a growing, established company approaches AI and innovation, this is a newly created role with real influence.
- A collaborative, people-first culture at a company with a strong Midwest presence and an 80+ year track record.
- Competitive salary ($65,000–$75,000 depending on experience), full benefits, and long-term career growth potential.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related business field.
- Zero to three years of professional experience; internship experience in a business, operations, or distribution environment is a strong plus.
- Hands-on experience using AI tools in a business or academic setting is preferred over technical programming skills.
- Certifications such as Microsoft Certified: AI Business Professional, Google AI Essentials, or similar are a plus.
- Familiarity with wholesale distribution, building materials, or related industries is a plus but not required.
How to Apply
If you are a business-minded problem solver who is excited about the practical potential of AI in a real operational environment, we want to hear from you. Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter describing how you have used AI tools to improve a process, solve a problem, or make work easier — in any setting. https://www.aetnaplywood.com/aetna-careers/
Aetna Building Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. This posting is not intended to be an exhaustive description of all duties associated with the position.
